What Brainwave Dysregulation Can Present Like.
By Dr. Tom Woodman
Neurofeedback therapy is method of brainwave training that can help the brain to produce stronger, more appropriate brainwave patterns at the correct time. It is an effective, non-drug treatment alternative for a variety of different symptoms that people commonly struggle with. The broad application of neurofeedback is due to the different combinations of brainwave patterns that can exist, and the different ways those patterns can express themselves. This article discusses two common patterns of brainwave dysregulation, and how they present clinically.
The first pattern is when the brain that produces too much slow brainwave activity. People who struggle with inattention, impulsivity, learning disorders, poor emotional regulation and often lack a sense of general awareness usually demonstrate slow brainwave patterning. “Julie” presented to our office in 2010 at the age of 13 with this pattern. She struggled in school despite tutoring 3 days a week for the prior 3 years, and was consistently getting C’s in average classes. Julie did 20 sessions of neurofeedback in November and December of that year, and immediately her grades began to improve. She became much more organized, independently began to clean her room, and received several awards that year recognizing her marked improvement academically. She entered high school taking Honors Level courses, and 4 years later was inducted in her school’s Honor Society.
The second pattern that is rather common is on the opposite spectrum of brainwave activity where the brain produces too much fast brainwave activity. People who over-analyze situations, have anxious tendencies and struggle to relax and “enjoy” themselves usually demonstrate this fast brainwave patterning. “Jill” came to our office in May of 2019 with this pattern. She was looking for help with her athletic performance, and despite being a former Division I athlete, she reported that she was experiencing: “Inconsistent performance; Lack of self-confidence; inconsistent execution during high pressure situations; Constant comparing self to others; and a general lack of self-belief.” Her goals coming in were to compete at the highest level of competition for her sport and make the US National Team. She had been close for several years, but the issues of self-doubt and overthinking would always hinder her achieving that goal. She did 34 sessions of neurofeedback that summer and then started competing that Fall. Her performance improved and her self-doubt was gone – she is currently a member of the US National Team.
These are just two examples of different brainwave patterns that prevented two different people from performing at their highest potentials. In both examples, neurofeedback was able to help the brain operate at a more efficient level, and as that occurred, performance frequently improves improved. Other patterns exist that are associated with other issues that people struggle with. But in every situation, the goal of neurofeedback is the same – to improve the efficiency of the brain itself. Eleven years ago, Dr. Laura Pardue and I were drawn to neurofeedback for very different personal reasons, and our outcomes exceeded both of our expectations. This propelled us to learn more, leading both of us to become Board Certified in Neurofeedback. Furthermore, I mentor other health professionals seeking Board Certification, and have taught various continuing education seminars to healthcare professionals throughout the country on this topic. If you would like to learn more, I will be giving informational presentations in the coming weeks at the Connecticut Sportsplex in North Branford. A recorded version will also be made available.
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